DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
2. Claims 1-9 are pending in this office action.
Priority
3. Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) or (f), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
4. Information disclosure statements (IDS), submitted May 29, 2024; July 31, 2025; November 21, 2025; and, December 15, 2025, have been received and considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
5. In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
6. The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
7. Claims 1-3, 5-6 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Furusawa (US 2019/0165413 A1).
With regard to Claim 1, Furusawa discloses in Figures 1-2, an electrode assembly, called a stacked body (20), comprising: negative electrode layers (14) having negative electrode active material layers alternately disposed on both sides of negative electrode current collectors (22); and a positive electrode layer (12) having a first positive electrode active material layer and a second positive electrode active material layer respectively on both sides of a positive electrode current collector (21) are alternately laminated, and solid electrolyte layers (13) are each placed in between the negative electrode layer (14) and the positive electrode layers (12), respectively, wherein, the first positive electrode active material layer (12) and the second positive electrode active material layer (12) have different lengths extending from the centerline of the positive electrode current collector (21) in the directions of both ends of the positive electrode current collector (21), wherein the length of the negative electrode active material layer (14) facing the first positive electrode active material layer (12) is equal to or shorter than the length of the second positive electrode active material layer (12) (paragraphs 0036-0048; See annotated figure).
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With regard to Claim 2, Furusawa discloses in Figures 1-2, wherein the length of the negative electrode active material layer (14) facing the first positive electrode active material layer (12) is equal to the length of the first positive electrode active material layer (12) (paragraphs 0036-0048; See annotated figure).
With regard to Claim 3, Furusawa discloses in Figures 1-2, wherein the length of the negative electrode active material layer (12) facing the second positive electrode active material layer (14) is equal to the length of the second positive electrode active material layer (paragraphs 0036-0048; See annotated figure).
With regard to Claim 5, Furusawa discloses in Figures 1-2, wherein the negative electrode active material (12) facing the first positive electrode active material layer (14) and the second positive electrode active material layer (14) are configured such that they are not in contact even after being isostatically pressurized (paragraphs 0036-0048; See annotated figure).
With regard to Claim 6, Furusawa discloses in Figures 1-2, wherein a ratio of the length of the second positive electrode active material layer (14) to the length of the first positive electrode active material layer (14) is from 1: 0.3 to 0.9 since the length of the second positive electrode active material layer is longer than the first positive electrode active material layer (paragraphs 0036-0048; See annotated figure).
With regard to Claim 9, Furusawa discloses in Figures 1-2, a secondary battery (100) comprising the electrode assembly, called a stacked body (20), noted above; and a storage case, including a sealing film (40) and a substrate (10), receiving the electrode assembly (20) (paragraph 0032).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
8. In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
9. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
10. The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
11. Claims 4, 7 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Furusawa (US 2019/0165413 A1), as applied to Claims 1-3, 5-6 and 9 above.
With regard to Claim 4, Furusawa discloses the electrode assembly in paragraph 7 above, but does not specifically disclose wherein the negative electrode active material layers provided on both sides of the negative electrode current collector have the same length. Before the effective filing date of the invention it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to manufacture the negative electrode active material layers provided on both sides of the negative electrode current collector to have the same length, since such a modification would only involve a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. See MPEP 2144.04(IV).
With regard to Claim 7, Furusawa discloses the electrode assembly in paragraph 7 above, including a plurality of alternating positive and negative electrode layers, but does not specifically disclose wherein lengths of the laminated negative electrode layers become gradually shorter as they go toward the top and bottom of the centrally located negative electrode layer, and the lengths of the laminated positive electrode layers become gradually shorter as they go toward the top and bottom of the centrally located negative electrode layer. Before the effective filing date of the invention it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to manufacture the lengths of the laminated negative electrode layers to become gradually shorter as they go toward the top and bottom of the centrally located negative electrode layer, and the lengths of the laminated positive electrode layers to become gradually shorter as they go toward the top and bottom of the centrally located negative electrode layer, since such a modification would only involve a mere change in the shape of a component. A change in shape is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. See MPEP 2144.04(IV).
With regard to Claim 8, Furusawa discloses the electrode assembly in paragraph 7 above, but does not specifically disclose wherein the length of the centrally located negative electrode layer is greater than the lengths of the remaining negative electrode layers and the lengths of the positive electrode layer, such that the upper and lower portions of the remaining negative electrode layer each form a pyramidal shape. Before the effective filing date of the invention it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to manufacture the length of the centrally located negative electrode layer to be greater than the lengths of the remaining negative electrode layers and the lengths of the positive electrode layer, such that the upper and lower portions of the remaining negative electrode layer each form a pyramidal shape, since such a modification would only involve a mere change in the shape of a component. A change in shape is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. See MPEP 2144.04(IV).
Conclusion
12. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KARIE O APICELLA whose telephone number is (571)272-8614. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 5:00PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nicole Buie-Hatcher can be reached at 571-270-3879. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KARIE O'NEILL APICELLA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725
